More than eight years after the doors opened, the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira continues to be a drain on township coffers.

Corners cut during construction of the $23-million facility have haunted officials since the 2009 opening.  It’s been plagued with problems, including costly repairs, soaring utility bills and runaway staffing costs.

Some of the issues have been dealt with in the intervening years, but upgrades and energy retrofits, along with failing equipment, are still a daily part of operating the facility. Repairs and maintenance costs along went $70,000 over budget last year, for instance — $109,000 instead of the $39,000 budgeted.

Rising staff costs due to the hike in minimum wage (about $35,000) and escalating hydro rates (another $30,000, to more than $400,000) will add to the woes this year. Overall, the facility is expected to cost $2.48 million to operate in 2018, generating $1.42 million in revenue, for a shortfall of just over $1 million.

On top of that, there will be capital costs, including $40,000 to replace a score clock in the arena. Despite being just eight years old, the clock isn’t reliable. The manufacturer having gone out of business, the township can no longer get parts, an all-too-familiar issue with equipment in the facility, director of recreation and facilities Ann McArthur told councillors meeting at a special budget session January 25.

Facing increased costs, the department has looked at tweaks to staff hours in order to save money, she explained. That includes closing the concession stand when not busy and reducing the hours of lane swims at the pool to reduce the number of lifeguards.

Upgrades and retrofits to the building are ongoing, with much of the lighting, for instance, being replaced almost from the get-go given the electricity costs. Likewise, heating and cooling have been issues from the start.

Operating costs in other township rec. facilities were also on councillors’ minds last week.

As he has done in previous budget years, Coun. Patrick Merlihan pointed to the high operating costs of a small rec. building in Conestogo, where rental fees fail to cover expenses.

Currently, the only use is a private daycare centre, which uses the building for a few hours each day during the workweek.

Last year, the budget shortfall was $5,000 with Merlihan suggesting the tenant cover the costs or the township look at closing the building.

“We shouldn’t be subsidizing this,” he argued.

Coun. Mark Bauman said the township should look at whether the building is an asset or a liability, whether it can be put to a wider use that covers the costs.

“The simple solution is to take it down,” he said of the building

Ward 2 Coun. Murray Martin stressed that the township should consult the public before making any decisions about the facility, noting that many of public buildings have higher costs than revenues.

“If that’s the criteria, there’s a whole lot of building that don’t pay their way.”

In Breslau, the community centre has seen increasing costs but falling revenues, as the township rolls out programs that generate light demand.

Staffing costs are up substantially, with McArthur saying she doesn’t foresee an increase in revenues.

“That’s an area of concern for me,” said Coun. Larry Shantz of the staff expenses.